WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Sophomore Elsa Daulerio scored a career-high 22 points and the No. 25 nationally ranked Bates women's basketball team never trailed in an 86-70 win over Williams Saturday afternoon in NESCAC action. 

The Bobcats (18-2, 6-0 NESCAC) completed an undefeated January with Saturday's victory, their ninth straight win. Bates has already matched their win total from two years ago, when they captured the program's first NESCAC championship. 

Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) hit 10-16 from the floor to pace the Bobcats in the scoring column, grabbing three rebounds, tallying two assists, and blocking two shots. 

A total of five Bobcats finished in double figures scoring, with senior captain Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) adding 14 points on 10-16 shooting. Junior Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) continued her terrific campaign with another well-balanced performance, netting 12 points on 4-8 shooting, three rebounds, a career-high nine assists, and four blocked shots. Senior captain Davina Kabantu (Portland, Maine) tallied 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a game-high three steals.

First-year Sarah Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) nearly recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Fellow first-year Mya Hicks (Ann Arbor, Mich.) drilled 3-4 from long range, finishing with nine points. 

Long and Daulerio combined for all six of Bates' blocked shots on Saturday, giving the Bobcats 120 on the season, a new program record. Bates broke a tie with the 2007-08 Bobcats, a group that blocked 114 shots. 

The first quarter was a tight battle between the Ephs (9-12, 1-6 NESCAC) and Bates. With the score tied at six and 6:10 left in the opening stanza, Kabantu hit a jumper to give the Bobcats the lead for good. It remained a close game though, and a Hughes three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining gave Bates a 19-15 lead through one.

The Bates offense exploded for 30 points in the second quarter, as they shot 12-19 from the floor, led by Long's seven second-quarter points and four assists. Tatum Leuenberger's seven points helped the Ephs respond with 22 of their own, keeping the game somewhat close at halftime, as the Bobcats led 49-37 at the intermission.

A pair of Arianna Gerig free throws cut the Bates edge to 10 points early in the third quarter, but the Bobcats answered with a 6-0 run, going up 55-39 on a Daulerio layup with 6:52 left.

Bates continued to add to their advantage, and a Kabantu three-pointer with 3:55 remaining in regulation gave the visitors their largest lead of the game at 82-62.

Gerig led all scorers on Saturday with 24 points on 7-18 shooting. She made 10-12 from the free throw line, and scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half. Leuenberger chipped in 15 points on 5-9 shooting for the Ephs, and Kate Keenan added 12 points on 4-8 shooting.

With every NESCAC team having played at least five conference games, the Bobcats rank first in scoring offense (71.2 points per game) and second in scoring defense (55.5 points per game) in conference contests. They are beating NESCAC opponents by an average of 15.7 points per game.

Bates is back in action on Friday for a battle for first place in the NESCAC with archrival Bowdoin. Tip is set for 7pm at Alumni Gym.